ELECTRONICS
Delta eyes 17% growth
Delta Electronics Inc (台達電), a supplier of power management solutions, yesterday said that its electric vehicle (EV) charging pile business would grow at least 17 percent during the five years to 2030. Delta has installed 2 million EV charging piles around the world, the company said. Aside from North America and Japan, Delta also plans to install 22 EV fast chargers at six service centers in Taiwan in the second half of this year, it said. Delta showcased its latest high-power fast chargers, which have a maximum output of 350 kilowatts, at the 2035 E-Mobility Taiwan trade show in Taipei.
SEMICONDUCTORS
US purchases hit record
US purchases of machines from Taiwan to make computer chips rose to a record last month. Taiwan, a global hub for silicon fabrication advances, saw its chipmaking machine exports to the US rise 42.6 percent last month from a year earlier, reaching a new high of US$71.3 million, Ministry of Finance data showed. Exports to China plummeted 33.7 percent, marking the ninth straight month of decline, the data showed. Home to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and several other major players in the chip sector, Taiwan plays a central role in the global supply chain. Concern about over-reliance on the nation prompted steps by US officials to bring more advanced chipmaking within the US’ borders. TSMC is setting up two fabrication plants in Arizona, assisted by subsidies and local government support.
COMPUTERS
Computex speakers named
Nvidia Inc founder and chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) is to deliver a keynote speech at Computex Taipei on May 29, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) said yesterday. The five other keynote speakers are Qualcomm Technologies Inc senior vice president Alex Katouzian, NXP Semiconductors executive vice president Rafael Sotomayor, Acer Inc (宏碁) chairman and CEO Jason Chen (陳俊聖) and Charles Liang (梁見後), founder and CEO of Super Micro Computer Inc, TAITRA said. The speeches would focus on subjects around high-performance computing, artificial intelligence applications, next-generation connectivity, hyperreality, innovations and start-ups, and sustainability, it said. The annual trade show is to start on May 30 and run through June 2 at the Nangang Exhibition Center’s Hall I and Hall II.
MEMORY CHIPS
Phison revenue expands
NAND flash memory controller supplier Phison Electronics Corp (群聯電子) on Wednesday said revenue expanded 20 percent sequentially last month to NT$3.93 billion (US$128.87 million) from NT$3.27 billion in February. Revenue tumbled 41.08 percent to NT$10.08 billion in the first quarter compared with NT$17.11 billion in the same period last year. Phison founder and CEO Pua Khein-seng (潘健成) said that memorychip prices are approaching a floor as indicated by Samsung Electronics Co’s recent remarks that it would reduce production to a “meaningful level” to reduce inventory and slow down price declines. Output reduction by NAND flash memorychip makers would be helpful in bringing the supply-demand condition to a healthy level and to stimulate prices, Pua said in a company statement released on Wednesday.
Semiconductor shares in China surged yesterday after Reuters reported the US had ordered chipmaking giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) to halt shipments of advanced chips to Chinese customers, which investors believe could accelerate Beijing’s self-reliance efforts. TSMC yesterday started to suspend shipments of certain sophisticated chips to some Chinese clients after receiving a letter from the US Department of Commerce imposing export restrictions on those products, Reuters reported on Sunday, citing an unnamed source. The US imposed export restrictions on TSMC’s 7-nanometer or more advanced designs, Reuters reported. Investors figured that would encourage authorities to support China’s industry and bought shares
TECH WAR CONTINUES: The suspension of TSMC AI chips and GPUs would be a heavy blow to China’s chip designers and would affect its competitive edge Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, is reportedly to halt supply of artificial intelligence (AI) chips and graphics processing units (GPUs) made on 7-nanometer or more advanced process technologies from next week in order to comply with US Department of Commerce rules. TSMC has sent e-mails to its Chinese AI customers, informing them about the suspension starting on Monday, Chinese online news outlet Ijiwei.com (愛集微) reported yesterday. The US Department of Commerce has not formally unveiled further semiconductor measures against China yet. “TSMC does not comment on market rumors. TSMC is a law-abiding company and we are
FLEXIBLE: Taiwan can develop its own ground station equipment, and has highly competitive manufacturers and suppliers with diversified production, the MOEA said The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) yesterday disputed reports that suppliers to US-based Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX) had been asked to move production out of Taiwan. Reuters had reported on Tuesday last week that Elon Musk-owned SpaceX had asked their manufacturers to produce outside of Taiwan given geopolitical risks and that at least one Taiwanese supplier had been pushed to relocate production to Vietnam. SpaceX’s requests place a renewed focus on the contentious relationship Musk has had with Taiwan, especially after he said last year that Taiwan is an “integral part” of China, sparking sharp criticism from Taiwanese authorities. The ministry said
US President Joe Biden’s administration is racing to complete CHIPS and Science Act agreements with companies such as Intel Corp and Samsung Electronics Co, aiming to shore up one of its signature initiatives before US president-elect Donald Trump enters the White House. The US Department of Commerce has allocated more than 90 percent of the US$39 billion in grants under the act, a landmark law enacted in 2022 designed to rebuild the domestic chip industry. However, the agency has only announced one binding agreement so far. The next two months would prove critical for more than 20 companies still in the process
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